Car-coupling



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN HEFFNER, OF PIPERS RUN, PENNSYLVANIA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 225,599, dated March 16, 1880.

Application led January 23, 1880. i

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN HEFFNER, a citizen of the United States, of Piper7s Run, in the county of Bedford and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Car-Conplin gs, of which the following is a specification.

- My invention relates to a combined automatic car-coupling and bumpers adapted for use in coupling cars of different heights.

It consists, mainly, in an automatic car-coupling consisting oftwo horizontally opening and closing jaws hinged to a draw-bar, said jaws being provided with means for engaging a couplin g-bar at different heights, and a coupling bar or link adapted to engage with said jaws. V

In the accompanyingdrawings, Figure l is a plan view of two railway-cars provided with my improved coupling, the ends of the carroofs being broken away to permit the platforms to be seen. Fig. 2 is a'horizontal sec- 'tional view taken on a transverse line through Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an end view of one of the combined bumpers and draw-heads.` Fig. 4 is an inside view of one of the jaws.

The letter A designates the car-platforms, and B the draw-bars, (shown in dotted lines,)

Fig. l, and secured in the usual manner under the cars.

To the front end of each draw-bar there are hinged two jaws, C C, which are pressed toward each other by separate springs D, secured to the outer vertical sides of the draw-bars. Each of the jaws has its inner face recessed, as shown at E, in the rear of the shoulders e and rearwardly from the edges of the recesses E the inner faces' of the jaws are beveled away, so that when the front portions of the jaws are closed together there will be room between the rear portions for the passage of a vertical shaft, F, having fixed upon it a double cam, f, the curved faces j" f of which bear against the rear beveled portions of the jaws and force said jaws to swing outward or open' when the cam is turned to a transverse position, as shown in the left-hand coupling in Figs. l and 2, the-shaft carrying said arm being operated by a hand-wheel, G or, instead of said hand-wheel, a suitable operating-lever may be employed, which lever should be fixed upon the end of said shaft, which extends above the platform to a convenient height. The jaws move upon a suitable bracket fixed to the under side of the platform.

Each of the jaws has, in the front portion of its inner face, in front of the recesses E, two recesses, h h, one above the other, and each similar in shape to the half of a longitudinally` divided funnel, so that when the jaws are closed together, as in Fig. 4, two complete funnel-shaped inclosures are formed, which serve as guides to receive the pointed conical heads i of the coupling-bar I, each of said heads being provided, preferably, with four rearwardly-extending barbs, i; but the two horizontal barbs will answer. When one of these heads is forced through one of the funnel-shaped guides, the jaws areforced apart against the action of the springs D, the head enters the recesses E of the jaws, and the barbs 'L' catch behind the shoulders c, when the springs again force the jaws toward each other.

The coupling-bars I have a similar head at each end, and each has fixed to its middle a disk or block, I', which limits the distance to which the said bars can enter between the jaws.

Each of the recesses E is preferably formed with the shoulders e extending all around, as well as at the sides, so as 'to engage the vertical as well as the horizontal barbs.

The coupling-bar is always engaged with the jaws of one car, in which position it is ready to automatically engage with the jaws of another.

If the car-trucks are of the same height, the coupling-bar may engage with the j aws through the upper funnel-shaped guides of both sets of jaws, the ends of said jaws serving as bumpers,

.and receiving the stroke of block I' as the cars come together 5 but if the trucks are of different heights, then the coupling-bar may engage with the jaws of one bumper through the upper funnel-shaped guide, and with those on the other and higher car through the lower funnel-shaped guide.

The shaft F, instead of extending its full height at the center of the platform, where it would obstruct the passage between cars, may

IOO

be bent to one side at about a right angle just above the floor of the platform, and then bent upward at a suitable point away from the oor, after the fashion of a crank.

When it is desired to uncouple two cars, the 5 shaft F of one is turned to throw the cam f to a transverse position, thus opening the jaws and permitting the barbed head of the coup- 1ing-bar to become disengaged from the'shoulder e.

Each of the flaring or funnel-shaped guide of the jaws is countersunk, as shown at Z, to receive the block I', which thus serves as a support for holding the coupling-bar in a horizontal position, so that it will directly enter 15 the guide of another car.

Each of the jaws (l is provided with a transverse hole for receiving an ordinary couplingpin, J, so that by using two engaged links, K K', a car provided with my coupling may be coupled readily with anotherprovided with the ordinary pin-and-link coupling; or two cars having my couplings may be coupled by a single link and pins in case the proper coupling-bar should be broken or lost.

Having now described my invention, what I claim isl. In a car-coupling, the combined bumper and draw-head, divided vertically and longitudinally to form two spring-closing jaws, G G, which are hinged at their inner ends, and are constructed on their inner subjacent faces with the recesses 7L h and E, which latter are beveled rearwardly to receive the double cams ff on the vertical shaft F, the whole being constructed and combined as herein shown 3 5 and described.

2. The combination, with the spring-closed jaws C, having recesses E, shoulders e, and the countersunk funnel-shaped guides h, of the barbed-headed coupling-bars I, provided 4o with the supporting-blocks I', adapted to fit in the countersunk portions of said guide, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing 45 witnesses.

JOHN HEFFNER.

Witnesses:

ALBERT, H. NoRRIs, JAMES A. RUTHERFORD. 

